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Abstract
Flame-retardant Elvacite acrylic resin/Cloisite 6A nanocomposites were prepared via direct melt intercalation. Transmission electron microscopy micrographs showed that 75% of the clay platelets were completely exfoliated. This high degree of exfoliation resulted in a large improvement in thermal stability and UV absorption properties without sacrificing optical clarity. Cone calorimetry tests clearly showed that the heat release rate was far lower and more gradual in the nanocomposites than in pure resins. Thermal gravimetric analysis measurements showed that the thermal stability of nanocomposites was enhanced by almost 50°C (at 50 wt% loss) when the samples were thermally degraded under nitrogen. These results are consistent with a dramatic increase in the specific heat of the nanocomposites as verified by high precision differential scanning calorimetry measurements. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results indicated that the introduction of clay did not change the chemical structure of acrylic resins.